Dear Dr. Suzanne,
I hear this ticking noise coming from under the hood of my restored '65 Buick Special. It's got the old Wildcat 310 V8 and standard "three-on-the-tree" manual transmission. It does pretty good on oil and I checked all the belts and nothing seems to be leaking anywhere.
What would you recommended I look at next?
What? You have no fricking idea?
Well what makes you think you're qualified to give advice on gun safety and storage as if you're an authority and know what the hell you're talking about on issues outside of the practice of medicine? Just because you're a doctor?
What kind of gun safety training and certification have you obtained, and what are the qualifications of the accrediting body? Will you list your credentials for us?
Will your malpractice insurance cover you if someone gets hurt or killed listening to you because they were unable to retrieve and enable a locked and unloaded gun in time to respond to an emergency need? Will you assume personal liability if it does not?
See, after the car part, doc, you ought to be able to answer all of those questions if you're going to be responsible for your professional counsel.
If I were one of your patients, I'd insist on it.
Most likely your lifters are sticking. You may need new ones. Try a can of Marvel Mystery Oil mixed in your engine oil. Also, do not use regular engine oil.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago, oil companies and vehicle manufacturers decided together that they could meet emissions regulations and prolong catalytic converter life by taking several high-pressure additives out of motor oil. That wasn't a problem, since all the new engines had roller camshafts, which distributed the cam load over the cam much better than the old flat-tappet design. Every cam manufacturer as well as specialty oil producers now offer a special break-in oil or additive designed for the old flat-tappet cams that will prevent this wear.
Zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) was a common antiwear agent in engine oil through 2000. The new (2006) low-zinc, sulfur, and phosphorus oil formulation is designated "GF-4". Newer engines work fine with the ZDDP oil, but older flat-tappet cam engines require a zinc additive.
You can also find zinc-enriched oils designated for racing use or diesel engines.
Anon, I'm sorry you went to all that trouble--I had that old Special 40 years ago and was just using it to illustrate how unqualified she is to comment on anything outside her field of expertise.
ReplyDeleteI actually started this with a question about ionospheric refraction and the standard Molodensky formula but decided that was too obscure for anyone but nerds like me.
“Do you own any firearms? Do you keep them locked and inaccessible to children?”
ReplyDeleteUh, none of your business you liberal idiot pisswit.
Ordinary citizens should not be allowed to own that car.
ReplyDeleteI like David's answer better, Robert. Rather than telling a doctor, who you hopefully want to cultivate a good relationship with, to piss off, simply appeal to their pocketbook by way of sharing with them a risk factor their ill-advised advisors neglected to inform them about.
ReplyDelete-PG